The Highland monthly - National Library of Scotland

6oo The Ui^kland Monthly,
interests of the Hospital funds, under deduction of public
burdens and money specially destined, and in certain
named proportions. These the Session entertained, and
agreed to give three-fourths of the nett annual income of
their trust funds, subject to the above deductions, as long as
the voluntary scJieme should prove sufficient, and also the
residue of their church collections /// aid of the voluntary
contributions, after payment of precentors, catechists,
beadles, and other contingent expenses. It was clearly
pointed out that tins tvas only to be an experiment. This
arrangement appears to have worked for a time. The
Board of Administration asked for quarterly payments, but
the Session deferred payment until their annual accounts
were made up some two months later ; and for a time the
Session handed over three-fourths of their annual balance to
the Administrators, and one-fourth to a sinking-fund to
extinguish debt. In July, 1843, a meeting of the Session
took place, at which some of the principal heritors, or their
representatives, were, by invitation, present to confer with
them. An agreement was then arrived at, that it was no
longer possible to support the poor by voluntary con-
tributions, and that a legal assessment had become neces-
sary. A Committee was appointed to support this view,
and to prepare a report for the statutory meeting of Legal
Administrators in August, it being then expected that a
general enactment for Scotland, relative to provision for the
poor, would be passed shortly. Apparently an assessment
was laid on, as the Hospital accounts for 1843-44, show
*' assessment for the poor, 7s 7^2^," evidently on the
Hospital property. The following year the Board of
Administrators appears to have been again summoned to
revise the list of paupers, and provide funds for their main-
tenance, either by legal assessment or voluntary con-
tribution, for the ensuing year or half-year—a strange
inconsistency.
Early in 1845, with the prospect of the Poor Law Act
8 and 9 Victoria coming into force—and none too soon
—